New PCs force consumers to spend hours weeding out teaser software and ads that slow down the machines. The problem is a lack of respect for the consumer: manufacturers don’t act as if the computer belongs to you.
New laptops from Toshiba and Dell tackle the design challenge of being both small and powerful. Both machines are stylish and worked fine in the tests, but Walt finds flaws that might give a buyer pause.
Dell’s new all-in-one PC, the XPS One, is a stylish Windows Vista machine that runs well and won’t cost a fortune. If it didn’t have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry’s design leaders, Apple or Sony.
Verizon’s H-P Mini netbook is an adequate light-duty computer for a low price, but the charge for Internet service is high if used as a main online connection.
Edited by Walt and written by Katie Boehret, this is a guide to gadgets, web services and other consumer technologies.
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